Two violent attacks on Strip not expected to hurt image

Monday, Jan. 6, 2003 | 11:12 a.m.

Two high-profile acts of violence on the Strip within the last week -- a boy taken hostage at knifepoint and a young woman stabbed while hailing a cab -- shouldn't hurt the city's image, local officials and experts say.

Both incidents appear to be random attacks because the victims did not know the suspects in either case, police said.

Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority spokeswoman Erika Brandvik and Metro Police spokesman Jose Montoya said considering that millions of tourists visit Las Vegas every month, the number of violent incidents on the Strip is relatively low.

"Anytime there's violence on the Strip it's not a good image," Montoya said. "But we get 2 million visitors a month, plus more than 1 million live here. So five or 10 incidents a month (involving weapons on the Strip) is not very high, I think."

Brandvik agreed.

"Overall, Las Vegas is perceived to be a very safe destination, and it is a safe destination," she said.

The family of the 7-year-old boy taken hostage on New Year's Eve might not agree with that assessment, however.

About 10:20 p.m. Wednesday the boy was holding his great-grandfather's hand and walking with their family when a man came up from behind the group, grabbed the child and ran, police said.

The man held a knife to the boy's throat in a parking lot next to the New Frontier for about 20 minutes, Montoya said.

Police negotiated an end to the standoff and arrested Anthony Miranda, 35, after the child was released unharmed.

In the other incident, a 24-year-old woman, a tourist from Corvallis, Ore., was stabbed in the back while hailing a cab outside the Stratosphere early Friday. Police later arrested Marcos Antonio Franco, 35, at a Tam Drive apartment after a five-hour standoff with SWAT officers.

The woman, whose name was not released, remained in good condition today, the hospital said.

Both men were being held without bail today at the Clark County Detention Center, Metro said.

Miranda, whose charges include kidnapping, child endangerment and resisting/obstructing a police officer, is scheduled to make an appearance in Justice Court at 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 17. Franco is scheduled to appear in Justice Court 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, police said.

Brandvik said violent incidents like the two recent attacks are "hugely unfortunate."

"But incidents like theses are few and far between," Brandvik said.

John Bowen, director of graduate studies at the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said the incidents probably will not affect Las Vegas' image with tourists.

"An image develops over time," Bowen said. "These are individual incidents. It has to develop to where it's not a random act but something that's likely to occur."

Bowen said he didn't know how many violent incidents would have to happen before Las Vegas' image took a hit, but said, "Another part of this is how much press the incidents get in the national and international media."

Montoya said the New Year's Eve incident that led to Miranda's arrest was the most serious incident of that evening.

Metro officers made 53 arrests on the Strip that night, and all except Miranda face misdemeanor charges such as disorderly conduct, Montoya said.

Eighteen of those arrested on New Year's Eve were juveniles, he said.